Sorry fans (yes Im being ironic, I know Im typing to myself only) for the late entry to my last Saturday hike.
My dad and I went to a place called Turtletown Falls Park. We got too late a start for the longer drive to either Blood Mt or Standing Indian. Hopefully this Saturday we can go to S.I. It is in extreme east Polk county, and had a bit of trouble finding it, because I forgot to bring directions. So I winged it, and after a couple dead ends and double-backs, finally found the entrance road that leads to the creek and trail. I have to say, this part of Polk county, which I havnt been too, on Highway 68 heading north, is absolutely beautiful. With rolling green pastures, some suprisingly nice houses, a couple cool hillside cemeteries, and a nice vista or two of the mountains. And no black flies!
Once on the trail, I was suprised at the beauty of it and the creek. In the Chattanooga Hiking Club write-up, the area was described as a "hidden gem", and Im inclined to agree. The opening stretch is virtually creekside in a lot of places, and you can tell floods easily, and is basically a jeep trail. The one unfortune thing we came across was a couple of 4-wheelers, but they were friendly and passed on and took their noise with them, so I wasnt too bothered by them. Not sure if they're legally allowed to drive them here or not. Also, the presence of horses, in the form of lovely stinking piles of poo and hoofprints, could be found. But we never came across them or their riders.
We didnt complete the entire loop (3.8 miles I believe) nor did we see the falls, but we did go to the top of the bluff that overlooks the Hiwassee. Although this is June, so views were scarce to nonexistent. I started to get stomach cramps and felt sick, so I decided to turn back and head down the bluff, back to the car, and after a few minutes I caught up with my father, who always lingers behind.
Oh, I forgot to mention the old man I first encountered on the trail. He was definitely a local and was your classic caricature of what a mountain man would be. Down to chewing tobacco in his mouth. His first question was, "Are you by yourself?" Odd, but he turned out to be fairly friendly, although I have to admit he gave me some slightly sinister vibes. He gave me a confused, roundabout description of how to do the loop trail, then I moved on.
Ok, picture-time:
My dad and I went to a place called Turtletown Falls Park. We got too late a start for the longer drive to either Blood Mt or Standing Indian. Hopefully this Saturday we can go to S.I. It is in extreme east Polk county, and had a bit of trouble finding it, because I forgot to bring directions. So I winged it, and after a couple dead ends and double-backs, finally found the entrance road that leads to the creek and trail. I have to say, this part of Polk county, which I havnt been too, on Highway 68 heading north, is absolutely beautiful. With rolling green pastures, some suprisingly nice houses, a couple cool hillside cemeteries, and a nice vista or two of the mountains. And no black flies!
Once on the trail, I was suprised at the beauty of it and the creek. In the Chattanooga Hiking Club write-up, the area was described as a "hidden gem", and Im inclined to agree. The opening stretch is virtually creekside in a lot of places, and you can tell floods easily, and is basically a jeep trail. The one unfortune thing we came across was a couple of 4-wheelers, but they were friendly and passed on and took their noise with them, so I wasnt too bothered by them. Not sure if they're legally allowed to drive them here or not. Also, the presence of horses, in the form of lovely stinking piles of poo and hoofprints, could be found. But we never came across them or their riders.
We didnt complete the entire loop (3.8 miles I believe) nor did we see the falls, but we did go to the top of the bluff that overlooks the Hiwassee. Although this is June, so views were scarce to nonexistent. I started to get stomach cramps and felt sick, so I decided to turn back and head down the bluff, back to the car, and after a few minutes I caught up with my father, who always lingers behind.
Oh, I forgot to mention the old man I first encountered on the trail. He was definitely a local and was your classic caricature of what a mountain man would be. Down to chewing tobacco in his mouth. His first question was, "Are you by yourself?" Odd, but he turned out to be fairly friendly, although I have to admit he gave me some slightly sinister vibes. He gave me a confused, roundabout description of how to do the loop trail, then I moved on.
Ok, picture-time:
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